I'm sure you've heard about the new White House social media manager, Megan Coyne, who has recently been delivering zingers and clapbacks to right-wing politicians all over Twitter. I think she's exactly what the Dems needed to level up their social media game, and I'm here for her absolute biting snark.
In this same spirit, the Maricopa County Democratic Party has also recently switched up its social media presence. It's now being hosted by Arizona musician Robbie Pfeffer, also known as the lead singer for "Playboy Manbaby." Who is Robbie Pfeffer? KJZZ describes him this way:
Robbie Pfeffer, the charming, mullet-ed frontman for the Phoenix band Playboy Manbaby, started making goofy videos during lockdown, and Instagram responded. So did TikTok.
Pfeffer is now running the Maricopa County Democratic Party's social media feeds to inform the public about Arizona politics. His particular brand of hipster weirdness seems like the perfect thing to get young folks more excited about participating in politics. KJZZ explains:
The video platform TikTok gets more than 1 billion video views per day, with young people drawn to its high-energy content and charismatic influencers. And that has attracted the attention of more traditional institutions, looking to capitalize on the app's popularity.
Some organizations are using young creators to bridge the generational gap.
A majority of TikTok users are young people. More than 70% of account holders are between 18 and 24.
Tens of thousands of those users are seeing videos from the Maricopa County Democratic Party, hosted by Arizona musician Robbie Pfeffer, informing them of political happenings in Arizona.
Pfeffer is a precinct committeeman in Phoenix, as well as the lead singer of the Phoenix band Playboy Manbaby.
Here's the Maricopa County Democratic Party's TikTok, where you can watch Pfeffer doing his thing—discussing the dangers of far-right politicians, educating voters on Democrats running for office, helping potential voters learn how to register to vote, and more, all with his geeky charm and signature rhythmic delivery. For example, here's one where he discusses Kari Lake and why we shouldn't vote for her. And here's one about the horrors of Andy Biggs.
He also has his own social media that's terrific. He describes himself on his Twitter as "Phoenix Multi-Media Art Punk for Kindness." And he's active on Instagram too—check out his ode to Sweet Tomatoes, which closed as a result of the pandemic. And here he is playing with his band at Danelle Plaza in Tempe. The Democratic party needs more folks like Robbie Pfeffer.
